Township Council Taxes

Resurfacing and sidewalk and curb improvements to nearly 100 streets in the township will be funded by a bonding ordinance approved at the June 11 Township Council meeting. The ordinance allocates $5.2 million of the overall $7.6 million capital improvement and equipment ordinance approved by the Council to the road program. The work also includes upgrades to the water and …

An amended $71.8 million 2024 budget was passed by the Township Council at its May 28 meeting. The amended budget includes nearly $1.7 million in additional anticipated revenue, including about $1.5 million in state Department of Community Affairs money for Franklin Youth Center programs. Figures released by the Township in April showed that under the budget, the owner of a …

RATE HIKE EXPLAINED – Mayor Phil Kramer explained the necessity of a water rate hike at the April 23 Township Council meeting. Water rates would increase nearly 17 percent under an ordinance amendment introduced at the Township Council’s April 23 meeting. The Township would also charge a water meter fee ranging from $4 to $257.25 per quarter, depending on the …

NUMBERS MAN – Township Manager Robert Vornlocker broke down the 2024 municipal budget at the April 9 Township Council meeting. Skyrocketing mandated costs are behind a small municipal portion tax increase included in the Township Council’s 2024 budget. Final numbers weren’t available at the April 9 Township Council meeting when the budget was introduced, but the bottom line is the …

BUDGET TALKS – The Township Council held its second budget hearing of the year, a three-hour affair – on March 19. A hike in township water utility rates may be in the offing. If it comes to pass, the rate hike would be the second such increase in two years. A discussion about the water utility budget during the March …

BUDGET PROCESS BEGINS – The Township Council met virtually March 11 to begin the annual budget hearing process. Township property owners can expect a tax increase this year that’s larger than hikes in the past several years, Mayor Phil Kramer said during the Township Council’s March 11 budget virtual hearing. One of the bigger factors in the increase is the …

The Township Council on January 23 approved a contract with senior department heads that will extend through the end of 2025. The contract, with the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, covers senior department heads and is retroactive to January 1, 2021. Township Manager Robert Vornlocker said that negotiations on a new contract were sidelined mainly because of …

Contracts for new police cars and cleanup services were approved November 28 by the Township Council. The Council approved a contract worth $319,709.60 with Nielson Ford of Morristown for seven Ford Police Interceptors. The Council also approved a contract worth $150,000 with Panfietti Construction of Phillipsburgh for property cleanup as needed. The contract is effective through November 2025, and cannot …

A long-term tax abatement plan for a township low-income senior citizen apartment building was approved by the Township Council recently. The Payment in Lieu of Taxes, or PILOT, program was deemed necessary by the Council to aid in the rehabilitation of the Wilentz Senior Residence at the Wilf Campus for Senior Living on DeMott Lane. The Council approved on second …

Contracts worth more than $941,679 for goods and services were approved November 13 by the Township Council. The contracts awarded were: A $24,900 and a $6,300 contract to Francen Contracting of Branchburg for rehabilitation of 26 Tamarack Road. A 2-year, $200,000 contract to Fyr-Fyter Sales & Service of Pennington for Central Station Monitoring. Maintenance, Repair and Testing Security Systems, Sprinkler …